8 Okanagan Summer Events Foodies Will Love

We may be in the dog-days of summer, but there is no shortage of food or wine-related events to check out in the Okanagan. The fruit-picking, wine-touring, new-restaurant-opening season is in full swing in the valley. To make the most of your experience, here are 8 events and activities to check out.

1) Wine Dinner at Salt and Brick

Salt and Brick is one of the hottest additions to Kelowna’s growing culinary scene. The restaurant formerly known as Salted Brick, has come under new ownership and rebranded itself as a tapas bistro and wine bar. Each month the restaurant partners with a different winery, offering flights of their wine as well as sample pours on Wednesday nights, followed by a chef-paired wine dinner at the end of the month. On July 25 Salt and Brick is hosting a five-course dinner paired with this month’s partner, 50th Parallel Wines.

Quails’ Gate Dinner in the Vineyard.

2) Long Table Dinners

Every Wednesday in July and August, Quails’ Gatewinery hosts their Dinner in the Vineyard series. The four-course meal features farm-to-table dishes with seasonal ingredients. Down the road, Mission Hill Wineryalso puts on an al-fresco dinner series, but only on select dates. Their next one is the Food Day Canada Celebration happening on August 4, featuring three courses of fresh, local ingredients.

Vice and Virtue Brewing Co. Photo by Donovon Wagner.

3) Brewery Crawl

The craft brewery scenes in Penticton and Kelowna are expanding. Vice and Virtue Brewing Co is the latest to join the pack in Kelowna, opening its doors just last week. Take advantage of the warm weather by going on a self-guided walking brewery tour, or get some help from your friends and pedal your way through Kelowna or Penticton on a craft beer Smile Cycle Tour.

Photo by Brian Sprout.

4) SunRock Experience

For an elevated wine-tasting experience, book a tasting and lunch at SunRock Vineyardsin Oliver. While the tasting rooms on the Black Sage Bench are usually buzzing with visitors in the summer, SunRock does not have a tasting room, making it an oasis amongst the vines. The experience itself takes place on a mountain slope above the vineyard under a wooden gazebo-like structure. Each wine is accompanied with a food pairing (like SunRock Shiraz with pepper-crusted rare seared tuna with wasabi caper aioli) followed by a lunch paired with…you guessed it, more wine.

Mission Hill Summer Concert Series.

5) Winery Concerts

There’s a reason why Mission Hill’s Summer Concert Seriesis so well known – the talent is great and so is the food. This summer’s lineup includes Chris Isaak, Sheryl Crow, Chris Botti, David Foster and The Gypsy Kings. If you’re lucky enough to snag a ticket, you can also book from an array of experiential packages, like the Terrace Dinner and Concert package which includes a four-course meal with wine pairings before the show. And if you’re a classic rock fan, The Stampedersare performing at Lake Country winery Ex Nihiloon August 11. Tickets include dinner at the winery’s Chaos Bistro (famous for their forno oven pizzas).

6) Free Range Tour

Former Top Chef Canada contestant and Krafty Kitchen and Bar owner, Chris Shaften, has started a wine touring company with sommelier Mia Papadopolous. Free Range Tourstakes the culinary and wine pairing experience to the next level with their Bubbles and Bites tour, which includes plates at each stop prepared by Shaften to compliment the wines.

8) Tailgate Party

Finish off the summer by letting loose at the Naramata Bench Wineries Tailgate Party on September 8. This year’s theme is “bootleg bash,” in honour of the Naramata Inn‘s founding in the early 1900s. Put on your best heritage hat and enjoy wine from 28 Naramata wineries, live music and food from local restaurants.

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